Red Psycho
by ShunKickShunKers
Summary: After wondering long enough what would psychos do if they escaped jail and wanted to take revenge over Jane and Lisbon, I came up with this. No gory torture to say so , but rated M for a reason
1. Chapter 1

**A three shot I've started at work out of boredom. ****After wondering long enough what would psychos do if they escaped jail and wanted to take revenge on Jane and Lisbon (since the duet had caught some bad guys by themselves often…quote Red Potatoes, Red John's Footsteps, Red Badge and some others), I came up with this. **

**No Red John in the picture, but lots of angst.**

**Warnings: rape, and rated M for a reason.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mentalist, just my crazy twisted mind. My English grammar isn't the best. Hope you'll…"enjoy" this anyway.**

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**Red Psycho**

It had been dark for some time in the white hallway of the hospital. Melissa Hawkins yawned. It was her first night as an agent of security and not only was she tired, but also bored out of her mind. She checked her watch for the fifth time in twenty minutes, wishing her shift would show up earlier so she could crawl into bed.

_Tap, tap, tap._

The sound of footsteps not far around made her brows frown and she straightened, holding her lamp higher.

"Who's there?" she asked in a strong, assured tone. The steps stopped. Melissa abandoned her spot and move towards the corridor she thought she heard the sound. She noticed she was heading towards the inside emergency staircase and opened the door, certain someone was on the other side. She took out a stick -no guns in a hospital they said- and repeated;

"Who's there? Show up now!"

_Tap, tap, tap._

The footsteps started again, and indeed somewhere above her, in the stairs. For the first time since 7 pm that night, Melissa felt the rise of anxiety. Who was wandering so late out there? Was it a lost patient? A late nurse? Someone from the offices that forgotten something and came back? what if it was a psycho?

She brushed the last thought aside. Of course, being alone in this building brought scary thoughts, and she had watched too many horror fims when she was fifteen.

"Excuse-me ma'am?"

The young woman jumped in surprise and turned round. A medium-high man wearing a brown jacket was staring at her with compassion.

"Damn it you scared me!" Melissa barked; a hand over her chest to slow down the heartbeats. "I think I'm gonna have a stroke or something…What are you doing up here anyway sir?"

"I am very sorry ma'am" he said on a low tone. "But for the welfare of our plan, you need to die."

Melissa Hawkins never felt the bullet flying through her skull from behind. Never felt the impact of the cold ground when she fell. Never saw the woman walking over her body to join her accomplice and both walk away.

She never knew she had died.

**RP**

Lisbon pulled over in front of her apartment. Once the engine of her SUV died down, she glanced at the passenger seat. Jane was sitting there, humming cheerfully, a big purple bruise on his nose. The senior agent sighed. Today's case has been tiring, as usual.

A young woman, Melissa Hawkins, had been shot from behind. Jane pointed out that the position of her body hinted she was talking with someone right before she died, and that her killer was either waiting for her, or protecting her partner's ID.

They had found no fingerprints, nothing suggesting struggles. She had no family, very few friends who all had alibis and were in shock to hear about her death. According to them, even thought Melissa was a pure antisocial, she never looked for or started troubles. She got her job by chance to help paying up her rent. Logically, no-one had any reason to kill her.

Of course, Jane had to speak smart during the investigation. He put his suspicions on the head nurse –who was sleeping with an intern ten years her junior- and was punched by the husband of the said nurse. Since the blood was floating from his nose, he had to go to the bathroom and managed, Lisbon still wondered how, to come back completely high after taking a dose of morphine. The doctor who examined him afterwards told the team Jane needed to be watched over by someone. And being the absolutely selfless, guilty-conscious boss she was, Lisbon offered to take him over. Apparently, no-one but else had the courage to deal with the high spirited consultant.

So here they were, sitting in her living room, watching one of her favourite movie with Jane making comments about everything and nothing, feigning to throw up when the scenes were too cheesy for him or complaining on the predictability of the ending. When the credits started to roll, Lisbon was strongly wishing she could strangle him.

"I want some tea Lisbon!" he whined like a five years old child.

"Fine. Stay here" she growled, standing up and heading to the kitchen, glad to leave the living room.

She warmed up some water, took out one mug –after a short hesitation, two- and let them on the table. A sudden knock made her jump. Jane was standing in the doorway of the room, a cute grin on his face. Lisbon turned her head away, aware of the slight blush creeping on her cheeks.

"Don't be shy Lisbon" he said, and she could hear the smile in his voce. "Has anyone told you how beautiful you are?"

Lisbon just rolled her eyes and poured the now hot water in the closest cup.

"Jane, can't you be serious a sec…"

She stilled when she felt his hands taking her hips gently and pulling them backwards. His face busied itself in the back of her neck and his teeth bit her earlobe.

"Very, very beautiful" he whispered huskily. "And desirable."

Lisbon froze at his words. A pang of anxiety crossed her when he didn't let go, but brought her even closer and started kissing her neck. Her skin tickled where he put his lips, but she brushed the feeling away.

"Jane" she grumbled "What are you doing?"

"I think it is pretty obvious my dear" he purred, one hand leaving her hip to slide on her lower stomach, right above the buckle of her pants' belt.

In any other circumstances, Lisbon would have felt embarrassed, but pleased he tried to seduce her. Inwardly, she never denied the blond man was attractive, and wasn't against the idea of 'friends with benefit'. The hot dreams she had about him were enough to prove it. Yet here, it didn't feel right. He was a little bit too enthusiastic and was still under the influence of the morphine she reminded herself.

"Jane, stop it" she ordered, trying to snuggle out of his embrace. He held her tighter.

"I'm not sure I want to let you go Teresa" he whispered, unbuckling her belt with skilled fingers. "I know you want me" his other hand slipped underneath her shirt and caressed her skin, triggering a shiver mixed of pleasure and horror "and I've want you for the longest time." He bit her earlobe again. "So tonight, you _will_ be mine."

"Jane…" she warned while alarms bells rang in her head. What was going on with him? They had flirted before, done innuendoes, but never passed the stage of touching.

"It doesn't matter to me if you're willing or not" he added on a more threatening tone.

Lisbon couldn't help the dread feeling washing over her. He wasn't joking. Stupor prevented her from reacting at first, but when his hand grabbed her breast over her bra, she hit his rib hard with her elbow. He merely grunted and released his grab slightly. Lisbon barely managed to sneak out of his arms and was reaching for her cell phone when he grabbed her shoulder and threw her on the kitchen floor. Her head hit the ground hard and she lost consciousness.

**RP**

When Lisbon eventually woke up, a massive headache made her groan. She tried to rub her head, but her hands were held elsewhere. She suddenly realised with alarm a few things: her arms were raised above her head, wrists handcuffed to the bedside, she was gagged and worst of all, her shirt had been torn opened, her bra off, and her pants and panties removed. In a corner of the room, Jane was staring at her with intensity like a hungry wolf. Lisbon shifted uncomfortably in her position. This was not good.

"You're awake" he whispered.

Her heartbeats accelerated when he started unbuttoning his own shirt, not breaking eye contact.

"Jane!" she tried to call out, but only managed a muffled 'Ein'. Panic was coursing through her veins when his pants fell on the floor. He climbed in her bed, stood over her, completely mesmerized by her naked body.

"You're so beautiful" he whispered again.

In other circumstances, Lisbon would have been flattered. Right now, the lust in his eyes terrified her.

She tried to struggle out, but one hand caught her wrists, the other cupped her chin and he sat on her hips, firmly holding her in place. He brought his face closer and muttered:

"Don't do anything you will regret later Teresa. I am warning you…" she looked away, feeling her eyes moistening; he nuzzled her neck and kissed her under the ear. "You will be mine tonight."

His hand started caressing her neck, went down her collarbone, stopped to her breasts. Lisbon closed her eyes, praying this was nothing but a nightmare. But when he leant over and captured a nipple in his mouth, when one hand slipped between her thighs and caressed the sensitive skin there, her body involuntarily arched against his. A low moan escaped her throat, smothered by the gag crossing her mouth. He was warm, gently in his touch, almost loving. And it hurt her. When he parted her legs and inserted a finger inside her, slowly simulating her body, she sobbed.

It felt good. Damn it felt so good…but this was so wrong. His free hand wiped her tears away and he kissed her on the forehead. He slid a second finger inside and thrust in and out. A mixture of shame, desperate anger and pleasure slowly aroused in her lower stomach and burned through her veins. Lisbon couldn't restrain the tears or the moans and hated herself for it. She couldn't help it. Jane just _knew_ where to touch her. Her body was reacting greedily at his ministrations when her mind was categorically refusing it. Only one thought occupied it all.

He was going to rape her, and she couldn't –wouldn't- do anything to stop him.

**RP**

Lisbon suddenly opened her eyes. She was alone in bed, in her, in her usual sheets. No traces of Jane. She frowned. Was it just a nightmare? She straightened in her bed and looked around. Door closed; the corner chair in place and silence. She sighed in relief. If Jane had indeed acted towards her like this…she shook her head, blaming her subconscious.

_Hands roaming all over her body. Pleasurable yet painful thrusts inside her_. _His breath on her silenced face, repeating how beautiful she was._

How could she ever come up with such dreams…Jane would never hurt her, right?

Something caught her attention on her wrist. She realized the red traces on her skin. Then she suddenly realized how sore her body was, how dry her throat was. The handle turned slowly, and the door was pushed open.

"Hello sunshine!" a too familiar blond man sang cheerfully.

Jane was standing in the doorframe, holding a tray on which she could see pancakes and a glass of orange juice. The sudden brightness in the room lightened something she hadn't caught in the half-light. Her yesterday clothes were lying there, with her shirt torn apart.

She glanced back fearfully at Jane.

It had never been a nightmare.

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**What can I ****say; working in a mortician's store brings me strange ideas uu". I must have a psycho side too xD**

**Thanks for reading so far!**


	2. Chapter 2

**In fact, I think I'm going to turn this into a four-shot. ****I didn't count the team's reaction in the whole story…Anyway, here's the following.**

**Thanks ****to: ****Helvetica Bold; ****TheMentalistGirl; **** lucy; ****chocolateymenta**** ; ****Simonisthecuttestmentalist ****for their reviews, and other alerts and favorites!**

**Disclaimer; I do not own Mentalist, I do not earn money over my fics, and I definitely don't deny having a twisted mind. My English grammar isn't the best, hope you'll 'enjoy' it anyway.**

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**Red Psycho**

When Cho arrived that morning, the first thing he realized was that neither Jane nor Lisbon were there. Usually, his boss would be already working in her office or the blond consultant sleeping on his couch. But then, they had left together the previous day. Perhaps they had another bickering or an argument that made them late. If anything happened, he knew the woman would contact one of them immediately.

"Good morning Cho" Van Pelt greeted him, to which he replied by a swift nod. She settled on her desk and turned on her computer. Then, she took a look around and asked: "Jane and the boss aren't there yet?"

Cho just shrugged and opened the file on the Hawkins case. A few minutes later, Rigsby entered the office, a salad sandwich (Van Pelt replaced his bacon in the fridge previously) in hand already.

"Hi guys"

Both colleagues greeted back. Ten minutes flee and Hightower appeared in the doorway, frowning.

"Agent Lisbon isn't here yet?"

"Perhaps she went to the hospital with Jane" Van Pelt offered, glancing warily at her boss. "He had…well he was punched in the nose again, and it was pretty bad."

"And why should she accompany him to the hospital for a simple punch?"

"The doctor said Jane needed to be supervised for the night" Cho cut in, not raising his head from the file. "She offered to keep an eye on him."

The answer seemed to content the black woman. She reluctantly pulled out of the room, but not before demanding them to send the agent to her office as soon as she was back. A few minutes later, Van Pelt noticed she got a mail with a video attached. After checking the sender's ID and not recognizing it, she scanned it for eventual viruses and when it came out clean, opened it.

**-RP-**

As the light turned red, Lisbon turned on the radio, hoping it would help her relax a little. In her review, she could see Jane in the backseat, observing her with puzzlement. She looked away quickly and bit her lower lip. Her hands were slightly shaking on the wheel and she was extremely nervous from his closeness. It was perfectly understandable, after the night she went through…she even wondered how she still managed to stay alone with him in the small space her car offered.

"Where are we heading Lisbon?" he asked for the fifth time.

His voice startled her and she ignored him once again. If she spoke to him, her voice would betray the panic within, and she couldn't let him know how much she was agitated inside. Annoyed by her lack of response, she heard him sigh and move against the door, his head resting against the cool glass window.

"You've been on edge around me all morning" he stated. "I'm telling you I've never did it. Why can't you believe me?"

His voice reminded her the strong reaction she had when she saw him earlier. Biting back a sob, she let memories run through her head once again.

_/Flashback/_

_When his eyes spotted the red marks on her wrists, he put down the tray and stepped closer, worry written all over his face. _

"_Lisbon, what are those…"_

_He was a few feet from her when she backed up and plunged her hand under her pillow, searching for the gun she usually left there. _

"_Step back, you SOB!" she growled, eyeing him angrily. "Don't you dare come closer to me!"_

_Jane froze in tracks, sensing she was very upset by something, though he didn't seem to know what. She finally touched the cold metal of her inanimate friend and grabbed it __instantly._

"_But Lisbon…" When he saw the gun; his eyes widened in surprise. _

"_Stay back!" she repeated, pointing the firearm at him. He raised his hands in the air, taken aback. _

"_Lisbon, Lisbon what's happening?" _

_Tears of humiliation and shame started building in the corner of the eye. How could he still look at her in the face? How could he ever cross her eyes again? _

"_How could you do this to me?" she uttered quietly. "How could you?"_

"_Do what?" he asked, slightly puzzled despite eyeing the gun warily. "I haven't done anything, I think…"_

"_Don't play innocent Jane. You _raped_ me, you asshole!"_

_His eyes widened in disbelief._

"_I did _wha_t?"_

"_You heard me! On your knees, _now_."_

_Jane obeyed, but he had that expression. The rare one, telling her he was lost and not understanding the situation._

"_Hands behind you head" she ordered. Once again, he obeyed with the mechanism of a robot, completely stunned. _

"_Are you sure you're not hallucinating? I mean, yesterday night…"_

"_Shut up!" she snapped, taking a pair of handcuffs out her nightstand. She put them on him and helped him stand up. Then she pushed him on the bed, took three steps back and let out a long she didn't know she was holding. In any other situation, Jane handcuffed on her bad was a very tempting idea. Right now, she wasn't really seduced. Despite the messy hair, the alerted eyes and the cute lost puppy look, he only inspired her despise. She trusted him at some point. She trusted him, and he blew it out. The worst was, perhaps, that she wouldn't even be able to arrest him. People already gossiped about them being in a secret relationship, there was a risk no-one believed her if she told it was unwilling…_

"_Lisbon, I didn't…" he started__, interrupting her thoughts. She glared at him. He decided to ignore it and went on: "We ate, you show me the guestroom and then we both went to bed, we were completely exhausted, you don't remember? We've cooked spaghettis!"_

"_We didn't eat yesterday, Jane" she replied dryly, though a nagging thought teased her about his apparent sincerity. "You caught me before I could even start dinner."_

"_Then why is there a bowl in the kitchen?"_

_While he talked about the tins in the washer, she noticed something. His pupils were dilated. She walked closer to him and waved her hand in front of his face like she had seen him do with a suspect once. Carl something, from the Model Life Center. The man had been…suggested he should bring potatoes to the police, and was nearly arrested for murder; and later, Rigsby had been found out hypnotized too. Like she half-expected, he barely reacted to her gesture, merely eyed her with curiosity._

"_What are you playing at Lisbon?"_

_The woman suddenly hesitated. She needed to know something._

"_Jane, answer this truthfully. Did it ever crossed your mind that…you'd want to sleep with me?"_

_Any other day, she would have smirked at the disbelieved expression on his face. She had turned Patrick Jane speechless. He quickly recovered though: _

"_You are a very attractive woman, Lisbon. To be honest, I did. Quite a few times. But I would never hurt you, you know that."_

_Oh how much she dreaded the answer. There was no way he could fake the sincerity of his words. She bit her lip, wondering what she was supposed to do. She couldn't let the team in the loop, they would immediately blame Jane or take his defense, and the last thing she needed now was a disunited team. And she wanted to know the final word before judging him. Wasn't he always the first one to search for the secret inside the secret? _

_/End Flashback/_

A horn blowing behind her brought her back to present time. The light had turned green. Lisbon wiped away the tears rolling down her cheeks and pushed the accelerator to make the car move. If she was right, if Jane had been indeed hypnotized, she only knew one person able to help her.

**-RP-**

"Guys" Van Pelt called out, her voice completely stunned. "I think you should take a look at this."

Her colleagues jumped from their chair and hurried behind the redhead. Van Pelt pushed the 'play' button, and the video started.

The first images were from a living-room, small, but cozy and well-arranged. Lights were on, suggesting the scene was taking place at dawn or twilight. No sound was heard, apart from the breathing of the one holding the camera. The scenery moved, and they were virtually led up to a staircase, first level. The image turned directly to the closest door. Noises were coming out from there. Smothered sounds and groans, from a couple in the middle of lovemaking. The door opened. They had a more or less clear vision of their consultant and their boss in a large bed, completely naked.

"Grace…" Rigsby started. "Are you sure…"

"Watch Lisbon carefully" she cut sharply.

The woman was tied with cuffs at the bedside, eyes closed with an expression of mixed shame and pleasure. Her mouth was covered with a black fabric, preventing her cries of frustration and certainly sobs from being heard correctly. It soon became evident she was trying to get rid of the man on top of her, without success. Jane, on the video, seemed completely obvious to the state of his bedmate, and went on trusting into her with a regular rhythm, his face buried between her breasts.

"The sneaky bastard" Cho cursed under his breath. "He is…"

Van Pelt shut the video player and turned towards her colleagues.

"I got this by mail this morning. I believe it was taken during last night. Whoever sent it to me wanted us to visualize it the sooner. I tracked the original address down, but so far I ended in a cyber café at the other end of Sacramento."

"Who cares about that" Rigsby growled, glaring at the computer screen. "Jane's gonna pay for this."

"You don't get it guys!" Van Pelt snapped back. "There must be something! Why didn't Jane react to the camera's presence? Even if he knew someone was filming them, he should have glanced at the intruder! And why would he let us visualize this if he was guilt? He's smarter than that! Who knows if it' even a double? Or if he was drugged or…"

Her ex-boyfriend eyed her in complete dissatisfaction.

"You're on Jane's side no matter what, aren't you?"

"I trust Jane not to harm Lisbon!" the redhead snapped again.

Cho ignored the argument between his two colleagues and took out his cell phone. He speed-dialed his boss's number and waited.

**-RP-**

Lisbon jumped when she felt the unexpected vibration of her cell, signaling her she was being called. Reluctantly taking out the mobile, she answered without second thought.

"Lisbon."

"_Boss? You're alright?"_

Cho. She sighed. She should have known one of them would call to get an update. Sitting on a chair next to her, Jane watched her with the same patience and curiosity. Great difference though, he was completely silent.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Listen, I have a few things to deal with right now, so I want you to…"

"_Is Jane with you?"_ he cut her brusquely.

"Uh…yes" she answered, glancing quickly at the blond man, "but what…"

"_We know he raped you boss. We got a video this morning_" Cho's tone had turned incredibly cold. "_He is not going through this one…"_

"Cho!" she barked immediately. "I am well and fine, and you should rather be visiting Mrs. Gardner, Hawkins's housekeeper, right now. We still have a case to close. You and Rigsby go there and…what video?"

"_A video in which we see everything. Someone was recording you…in action_."

She paused, stunned. She hadn't noticed the presence of an electronic device in the room-though she wasn't really focused on her environment at the moment. She pushed the thought aside for the moment. One thing at a time.

"Send Van Pelt to track the filmmaker. You two go to Mrs. Gardner's place, ask if she heard of any troubles from her locators and don't you dare come back empty-handed" she warned. "I'll be back when I'm done here. And don't you dare disobey my orders. Clear?"

"_Crystal_" she heard the Asian man answer reluctantly. "_Will do boss. Be care…"_ Lisbon hung up without saying goodbye. She didn't need his words of comfort. Jane turned to her immediately:

"Are you going to tell me why we took an appointment at the Model Life Center? I am quite satisfied with mine right now, and I don't need a hypnotherapist…"

"You just shut up!" she barked at him angrily. She was hardly afraid of him now. So far, he had behaved with her, very gentlemanlike and silent. The last fact worried her, yet pushed her to believe she was right.

A young woman entered the waiting room and spotted the two Agent and consultant. She called their name and announced with a smile:

"Dr Royston Daniel is waiting for you."

**-RP-**

Cho hung up in turn and stared at his cell. Lisbon had sounded "fine", yet a little upset about him knowing. There must have been some truth then. No matter what Jane had done to the Senior Agent, he was going to pay for it.

"What's up Cho?" Rigsby asked eagerly. "What happened? What did she tell you?"

The Asian man just repeated Lisbon's orders and ordered the departure. When his colleagues were about to argue, he added dryly:

"Listen, this is easy. If Jane is a real bastard, Rigsby and I will beat him. If Van Pelt is right and someone framed Jane…we'll see. But in the meantime, we have work to do, no time for arguments, got it?"

Both nodded reluctantly. Suddenly Van Pelt added:

"Maybe you should check the crime scene again, before going to the housekeeper's place. If something happened to Jane, it would be there. Remember, we still don't know how he got high on morphine. Maybe he crossed someone he shouldn't have."

Rigsby shook his head in irritation.

"You have an annoying faith in that man."

"It's better than making assumptions over a friend my dear" she replied dryly, eyes narrowing.

The tension was rising slowly between the two ex-lovers. Cho grabbed Rigsby's sleeve and pulled him towards the exit. The Asian man took note of Van Pelt's thought and decided they should indeed dig a little more.

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**Yes, I brought back Dr Daniel from 'Red Potatoes'. I liked this episode, though I would have preferred Lisbon being hypnotized and kissing Jane xD (no offence to Rigspelt lovers). At this point of the story, can you try to guess who the 'villains' are? One of them should be easy xD.**

**Thanks for reading so far!**

**Next chapter preview:**

_Jane paled rapidly. His stomach wasn't cooperating with his stream of thoughts. He glanced at Dr Daniel and asked on a wary tone:_

"_Where is the bathroom please? I don't feel so good."_


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, here I am again! In fact this one will bear one more chapter since in my first version I hadn't include the team's thoughts…Not much to say, so I'll let you read this.**

**Thanks to ****Simonisthecuttestmentalist**** lucy Jbon Vermontgirl61; ****TheMentalistGirl**** Lizzy ****chocolateymenta**** for their reviews ! **

**Thanks to those who favorite and alert this story also!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mentalist, just my crazy twisted mind. My English grammar isn't the best. ****Hope you'll…"enjoy" this anyway.**

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**Red Psycho**

After many cases and many patients, Dr Royston Daniel prided him in thinking he was a man you could hardly startle. Yet, his last encounter with the CBI had left him a bruise on the nose, given by a very violent and tall agent he barely knew, smashing him his head on the table, and that surprising the heck of him. So when he got a call from Agent Lisbon for an emergency concerning one of their agents, he had prayed it wouldn't be the one called Rigsby. Too bad he had forgotten to ask on the phone.

His thoughts were interrupted by the knock on the door of his new secretary, a young lady named Halley Herington, very professional and efficient. This time he made sure she was in a solid relationship with her boyfriend; and had no psychotic sister to cover her back. Not that he was getting paranoid, but you never know…

"Agent Lisbon and Mr. Jane, sir" she announced.

Of course, he thought, he should have expected the blond man's presence. The so-brilliant consultant never left his boss's shadow. He had heard a few rumors running around the bullpen, when he was last brought in for an interview, about their very special relationship. The by-the-book agent and the arrogant, yet sharp-minded and rebellious consultant were the favorite source of gossips. On the other hand, Dr Daniel had to admit he was impressed by the man's brains. Though he was unconscious, he had read the report and learnt how they had saved him. And the fact Patrick Jane managed to find out the trigger to dehypnotize his colleague when he was trying to push him off a building made him whistle in awe.

The brunette and the blond entered his office and he immediately noticed a subtle change in their behavior. Lisbon seemed more aware of her colleague's presence –she stood noticeably a few feet away from him. And Jane, well Jane was hard to read. He always wore a cheerful smile on his face, but his eyes were stoic, imperturbable, almost cold. Today, something was off though. He couldn't place the finger on it, but something in his way of looking around, examining his surroundings…last time he entered the office he was much more nosier.

He brushed the thought aside and stood up to greet his guests.

"Agent Lisbon, Mr Jane" he said with a polite smile, offering his hand to the small woman. "What brings you here today?"

He almost got the answer when the agent's eyes flicked towards her partner.

"I had a strong feeling that Mr Jane had been hypnotized" she said on a firm yet…upset tone? "I'm not a specialist, so I came here for confirmation."

The man behind her rolled his eyes. Dr Daniels frowned. Maybe that could explain the feeling.

"For the last time, Lisbon, I am not hypnotized! You dreamt, that's all."

"Shut up Jane" the woman replied dryly before returning her attention to him. "Could you please examine him Dr Daniel?"

The hypnotherapist went towards the blond man and stared at him, hoping somewhere that if he was indeed hypnotized, he wouldn't punch him in the nose. He started with the eyes –pupils dilated, checked the pulse –steady rhythm and went on. Jane frowned a little, but didn't dare reply under Lisbon's glare.

"Any strange behavior lately?" Dr Daniel asked, taking a step back.

"He…" Lisbon paused, hesitating, before saying: "He…did things he'd never do, I believe, in normal circumstances. And he listened to me all morning, which is highly unusual from his part."

"What things?" he asked out of curiosity. He was rewarded with a furious and anxious glare. "Never mind" he added quickly. "Jane presents signs of a hypnotized subject. I can't determine how deep though."

He expected annoyance, not relief washing over the features of the small woman.

"Do you think you can dehypnotize him? Find the trigger or whatever you call it?"

"You don't have the slightest idea of whom could have done this?" Dr Daniel asked. "It would be easier to find the responsible…"

But when she shook her head, he understood something; she would have never called him at first place if she wasn't at a dead end.

"But I am not…" Jane started to protest again, taking a step closer to them.

"Sit down and don't you move!" Lisbon barked, stepping away from him. The consultant sighed, sat on the nearest chair and waited. She turned back towards Dr Daniel: "See what I mean?"

If the agent didn't look so desperate, the man would have found the situation amusing. Despite her small stature, he knew Lisbon had the reputation of keeping men twice her size on their toes. The last time he had seen them though, Jane was the only one daring (or suicidal?) enough to defy her authority. Today, even if he seemed reluctant to obey, he followed her orders when she obviously feared him. No wonder why she had doubts.

"I can always try" he offered. "But I can't assure you anything will come out of it."

"Marco Polo in the Atlantic blindfold, I get that" she muttered under her breath, staring warily at a bored Jane looking around and studying the room. "Please try your best, it's all I ask."

Dr Daniel nodded and walked up to the sitting man. He knelt in front of him at eye level. Jane held his gaze, daring him silently to try anything.

"Maybe you should hold his hand, agent Lisbon" the hypnotherapist said. "If he really listens to you, it might be easier for me…"

The reaction of the small woman caught him off-guard again. Standard people would not have notice, but his trained eyes caught the slight back-off of her arms, the tension on her face and the flash of hurt in her eyes. He must have done something very, very bad to her. Lisbon complied though, came reluctantly to sit down on the next seat and took his hand in her slightly shaking one.

Jane's eyes darted on her but she avoided his gaze. Dr Daniel wondered again if he could use a professional pretext to ask about the incident that occurred between them, but brush the thought away. The Agent was waiting for results, and he had a reputation to maintain. He focused completely on the blond man and said in a deep, low, soothing tone:

"Mr Jane, I want you to concentrate on my voice."

**-RP-**

In the car, neither Cho nor Rigsby were in the mood for talking. Both of them were too distracted by the Lisbon-Jane case. Cho was tempted to take the rookie's side and check every information before judging, but the images still made him mad. If Jane had really hurt Lisbon, he was so going to pay…

"Do you think something happened between them?"

Rigsby didn't need to mention the redhead; Cho knew it was _his_ main focus. Even if they had broken up some time ago, both agents were still very aware about the other's relationships. Rigsby more than Van Pelt, since he was the one who wanted to leave the unit to stay with her. Each time a boy eyed her too close, he turned into bear-mode and growled them away.

"One week ago he made a lotus for her" Rigsby added. Cho nodded, remembering the nice red paper flower. "She put it in her desk. It's still there. You think they…slept together or something?"

"That's none of our business" the Asian man cut dryly. "They do what they want outside the office."

"But…" Rigsby started but shut down. Cho felt the doubt was killing the man. If Jane and Van Pelt had an affair –which was in his mind, improbable, due to the feelings the consultant still felt for his deceased wife and his repressed ones towards Lisbon- the tall man would hunt Jane and made him suffer more pain than he almost did to Dr Daniel under hypnosis.

None of them spoke until they arrived in the parking lot of the hospital.

"You know where to start?" Rigsby asked. Cho would always be the designated leader in Lisbon's absence; it was an unspoken rule between them.

"Ask if anyone had seen something fishy with Jane around. I'll go and see if he could have spotted anything; might check the bathroom as well."

They parted at the entrance, flashing their badges to the remaining agents. The Asian man headed directly to the inner staircase.

When he pushed the door to the stairs, he glanced around, searching for a detail he could have missed the previous day. The platform was large enough to hold three or four person. Going up, you'd be heading to the great sikness, going down, to the basement, where stocks of medicine were left in.

Jane had supposed the previous day that Melissa Hawkins was brought or attracted in front of the exit door by someone. Cho climbed the stairs. His footsteps resonated quite loudly around, and contrary to the previous day, he wondered if the murderer hadn't been coming from the lower level, where all the medicine were, like they thought. The noise could have attracted the poor night guard there…but why kill her? Was it a thief trying to cover its tracks or something personal? nNothing was worth stealling up there...and the girl had no big problems in her life…

When he reached upper level, he opened the door and made a few steps towards the closest corridor. He immediately noticed an interesting fact: the exit he came from, the elevator and the bathrooms were quite close to each other. He also remembered clearly, after the hard punch of the insulted husband, Jane had to head upstairs since the closest bathrooms were having pipes problems. If the man had work with logic for once, those were the bathroom he went in.

Cho entered them and frown. Obviously the cleaning hadn't been done yet; the floor still had mud prints, and he didn't want to know what made the mirrors so dirty. He stepped closer and noticed that they were so _reflective_ the background was just a mixture of fog. If someone came from behind, he couldn't even see the face. He went out and back to the staircase, throwing a last look around. A plastic wrap caught his attention. He picked it and, realizing it was a needle wrap, put it in a plastic bag. If he had been in a hurry or distracted, he wouldn't have notice it.

He quickly got back downstairs and joined Rigsby –who was actually talking with a chatty nurse and looking desperate to get out of it. Cho paused in the corridor, amazed by the long sentence the woman was able to formulate without taking a break to breathe, before ending his colleague's agony and calling him from afar. He heard the taller man excuse himself and joined him hurriedly.

"You got something?" the Asian man asked, deciding not to tease his colleague yet.

"Yeah, a short shot of every affair going on in this hospital. Apart from that, according to Mrs. Ellen, the head nurse Mrs. Ruston is acting strange; but she put that on the fact everyone 'discovered' her affair with the intern Willy and her husband is starting procedure for divorce. Mrs Ellen even said she went basilica because a cleaning woman was sick and didn't wash the second floor yet, especially the toilets. She was so mad she got home and took her day off – I swear people sometimes… And you?"

"The bathroom Jane went in is conveniently close to the staircase. And I found this" Cho took out the wrap and pointed out the name of the product written on is board. "It's the same the doctor found in Jane's system."

Rigsby's jaw tightened slightly:

"So you think someone trapped Jane? Grace was right then."

Cho frowned, opened his cell and dialed the rookie's number. He would update her on their discoveries and ask for the head nurse' address. For some reason, it disturbed him to know how bothered the woman was for the cleaning undone. Maybe it was just an unfounded hunch, but he wanted to check it anyway. Jane was the pro in guessing, why couldn't he give it a try?

**-RP-**

Dr Daniel had tried every usual spots he could find, and Patrick Jane swore to himself that if the man touched him once again, the brave doctor was going to find himself on the floor with a black eye. Each time he tried to move, Lisbon would tighten her grip on his hand and order him to say still. The brushes were hurting him, and if he hadn't those green orbs staring at him severely…

The hypnotherapist tapped his left shoulder.

_The clinic. A bloody nose. The bathroom. Dirt__ on the ground. A figure behind. Blackness. Dizziness. A woman and a needle. Another one. Agreeable, soothing, rhythmic words. _

You want her, don't you?

_The touch on his shoulder, his arm. Feeling free. The familiar effects of morphine. _

You want her Patrick, stop lying to yourself.

_Words. A face. The face of a fair—haired woman with cold eyes. _

You deserve her you know? After all you've lived together, you both deserve this.

_A noise. Someone else. A ma__n looking out the door of the staircase. _

Don't restrain yourself Patrick. She will want all of you, and you can give her that.

_Quick whispers __from the other man. Hurried intonation. _

Show her how much you love her Patrick. Show her, even if she doesn't want to see.

_The good feeling again. _

Tonight when she's at home in the kitchen, preparing your tea, you will unlock the front door and go to her. You will show her how much you want her.

_Darkness again. His colleagues' face. Her face, more beautiful than ever. She __was in the kitchen, preparing some tea. _

Show her how much you want her.

_Sight. The dark-haired agent underneath him, naked, begging him with her eyes to let her go. Her beautiful body struggling against his. Touch. How good it felt to be inside her, to feel her tightening around him. The softness of her hair, of her skin when he touched them. Smell. The scent of her latest soap –lavender. Taste. The salt of her skin when he licked her neck and collarbones. Hearing. Her smothered cries. __Her moans and sobs._

_Her stillness in her sleep. Her damp cheeks. She had been crying. She was so beautiful. Intruders in the dark room. The reflection of a blade. Her gun was under the pillow. _

Get out of here.

_The earlier man and woman. Her soft and cold voice trying to make him step aside. He almost listened. Stepped aside. The blade over her neck. _

No-one touches her, or I shoot.

_The intruders arguing. _

You should have made him kill her.

_Their retreat. The gun back under the pillow. Lisbon naked on the bed. The night T-shirt on the board. Un-cuff her. Take off the gag. Dressing her. Back to his room. Sleep. Darkness._

"Jane!"

He opened his eyes and stared at a worried Lisbon, her hands on his cheeks, biting her lower lip.

"Jane, you're okay?"

Jane paled rapidly. His stomach wasn't cooperating with his stream of thoughts. He glanced at Dr Daniel and asked on a wary tone:

"Where is the bathroom please? I don't feel so good."

"First on your left" the man replied, interested in his reaction.

Jane jumped off his chair and ran to the door without thinking twice.

Lisbon wasn't lying. The fear, the betrayal he had read on her face the morning, everything was _real_; he remembered now. He had raped her. And it made him sick.

He managed to hold on until he reached the first toilet. But once there, he cling to the borders, not caring closing the door, and puked for what seemed hours. Couching, throwing out the bile out his empty stomach. Silent rage and shock shook him once again, and he had to breathe deeply to restrain the new wave of nausea. How could he do this to her? How could he _ever_ do _this_ to her! Due to the short hypnosis of Dr Daniel, the images were too clear in his head. Everything came back to him. Moans and sobs, her silenced cries, her pleading eyes, lidded with pain and pleasure. He couldn't believe it.

Once the illness gone, he stood up, wiped his mouth and went to the sink to wash his hands. His reflection in the mirror sent him the image of a sick-looking man, pale and trembling. He snorted at the picture. He looked like a victim. In the whole story, Lisbon was the victim. He didn't remember…_he thrust inside her and released a groan, feeling the pleasure coursing through his veins as she tightened around him…_

"Shut up!" he growled, glaring at his own image, breathing heavily. How could he make up to her? How could she ever forgive him? And how could he ever forgive himself?

His cell phone rang. He checked the ID, winced when he saw the name and picked up reluctantly. He was greeted by the sound of breathing. Hesitant.

"Swear you didn't do this" an angry voice barked. "Please Jane, swear you didn't."

'It wasn't really me, I was hypnotized" he replied softly, knowing the disappointed silent that would follow his answer. As expected, the caller didn't say a word, so he went on, asking: "What do you have?"

Nothing was said for a few seconds. Then, the caller hissed:

"You bastard. You swore you'd never hurt her!"

"I know I did, Grace" he answered quietly. "I feel guilty enough."

"Spare me your self-pity Jane" the rookie shot back before concentrating on the case. "Cho and Rigsby went to the hospital; I had a call a few minutes ago. Here what they got."

She told him what both agents had learnt, heard or noticed. Jane's head recorded the information, and before the redhead was done, he had an idea of what happened.

"Listen Grace, I need you to cross the names of every criminal Lisbon and I arrested together with the relatives of the head nurse."

"You think she has something to do with this?"

"My bet is you find someone named Lindsay Hendrix."

There was a slight pause, where only touches on a keyboard could be heard.

"Nope, no Hendrix…I have a police report though that was registered in the files a few hours ago…She died in a car accident. But Jane…Lindsay Hendrix, wasn't she the woman who hypnotized Rigsby?"

"Guess she got me too with some help" he replied darkly. "I…Grace, could you do me a favor and pick me up at the Model Life Center? I don't think I can face Lisbon anymore."

He expected the answer. A sharp 'no', before the line went dead.

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**AS I said, one last chapter to go…well depends on the length lol. For those who read 'Slave' it should be updated in the next few days xD**

**Thanks for reading so far!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I had to admit, writing this story helped me put some distance with the others…It's nice to change atmosphere from time to time, and guess at the speed I wrote this one I really needed it xD **

**So here's the last chapter, and conclusion of the case…**

**Thanks to TheMentalistGirl****; Anna; Jbon; lucyyh; liquidcrystal94; Ally Ashes;Simonisthecuttestmentalist for their reviews, and thanks to the ones who put me in favorites or alerts xD

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**Red Psycho**

During the ride back, neither Jane nor Lisbon dared cross eyes. An uncomfortable silence took place for the hour that lasted to the CBI headquarters. When they pulled over the parking lot, the blond man eventually opened his mouth:

"I'm sorry."

The small woman didn't answer. She merely closer her eyes and pushed back the need of running away from him. She knew he felt her tension, and wouldn't likely irk her or complain for a while; but that wouldn't repair the damage he had caused within, hypnotized or not. In the end, that was just the expression of his deeply repressed desires. So she merely replied:

"I know. Let's go."

It was not forgiveness, but that was all she could offer him right now. They walked out of the car and headed to the building in silence. None talked, though she could feel he was silently urging her to say anything. She wasn't in the mood to speak. In fact, she didn't know how she will behave with him. They couldn't forget it easily and turn back to their playful banter. With the team knowing, things will be even more complicated…

Lisbon didn't look at him when they entered the elevator. A few agents sneaked in between them, and she was grateful for it. The farthest she was from the blond consultant she was right now, the better she felt. It seemed he understood the message; as soon as they got out of the machine, he left the same distance between them, following her a few feet behind.

"Agent Lisbon" Hightower barked from afar, spotting them as soon as they appeared in the corridor, and joining them on a fast pace. "I asked you in my office two hours ago! Why are you in so late?"

Her boss's annoyance was _not_ exactly what she needed right now. The smaller woman glared at her superior, but before she could open her mouth and say something she was sure to regret later, Jane beat her to it and threw cheerfully:

"I blackmailed her into driving me to the Model Life Center! I had an idea about the suspects, and I needed the advice of a professional."

Hightower's jaw seemed to drop in disbelief. Of course, Lisbon wondered what was worst; that Jane was trying to cover her, even though it meant she complied with his demands and not the contrary; or that the lie seemed to convince the woman at all.

"And what does the advice of a hypnotherapist has to do with the investigation?"

"Shall we go to your office?" Jane offered, and Lisbon spotted a tension in his voice. He wasn't going to confess everything…was he? "I'd feel better if this stayed confidential." The intonation of his voice gave him away. He was.

Not waiting for him to continue, she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him away, asking for one minute more to Hightower, and pushed him into an empty interrogation room. After glaring at the few curious glances they received before closing the door and making sure no-one was there to listen, she turned towards him and growled between her teeth:

"Are you crazy? You are really going to tell our _boss_ what you've done?"

Jane bit his lower lip and avoided her gaze:

"Lisbon, this might be difficult for you because…well I took advantage of you, literally, and you couldn't defend yourself, and I get this was humiliating, but…"

He paused when he realized his words had triggered a more powerful reaction that he anticipated. Her eyes became shiny and her mouth formed a straight line. She knew he felt bad, heck horrible, for what he'd done. Bearing first the guilt of his family's death, then facing her after the previous night was perhaps too much for the man; and by talking to Hightower, he was punishing himself legally. But that was too easy in her eyes.

If he admitted the rape, even if Lisbon denied, the black woman would arrest him and make the whole fuss public. Not only the blond man had great chances to find himself behind bars for a while, but her own weakness would be revealed. Had it been anyone else, she would have brought her rapist handcuffed without second thoughts at the bullpen. But because he was _Jane_, she couldn't let him turn himself in for something he wasn't really responsible of. Perhaps it was selfish, but a depressed Jane in jail was something she wanted to avoid, even if it cost her silence and awkwardness from her part for a while.

After all, if she was good at anything else than her work, it _was_ keeping secrets.

"_Humiliating_?" she repeated in disbelief "I never felt so degraded of my life! So yeah, you can feel as sorry as you want, it might make _you_ feel better to confess, but I don't want you to tell _everyone_ what happened! The team knowing is enough, and after what you've done, I think you owe me that."

The consultant knew he did. After losing his family, he thought he couldn't make any other worst mistake. Whoever hypnotized him –though he had a strong hunch it was Lindsay Hendrix- had proved him wrong. The frail trust he shared with the dark-haired woman was one of the rare things he didn't want to lose. And in one night they managed to shake it. Hard.

"All right" he agreed reluctantly. "Only because you asked me."

He had unconsciously stepped closer. Lisbon noticed it and took an involuntary step back. Sadness and hurt crossed the man's eyes.

"Please stop looking at me like I was a monster" he whispered. "You know I'd do anything to take it back, right?"

Lisbon was about to reply that of course she knew, but before a single sound could come out of her mouth…

"Am I interrupting something?"

The rookie's voice made them both snap their head up. Van Pelt was standing in the doorframe, a file in hand. She didn't glance at Jane. She was angry, and the man knew he deserved the silent treatment.

"I've done a research on every criminals arrested by you two and crossed their genealogy with Mrs Ruston…and I found a name. Her step brother, you managed to trap him a few months ago. You'll never guess who we are looking for…"

**-RP-**

Rigsby and Cho arrived at Mrs Ruston's house quickly. It helped that her place was not so far from the hospital either, and that the tall brown-haired man knew a short-cut. The head nurse lived in a medium-sized house, nicely decorated. Trees were apparently boarding the lines of a garden. Cho knocked at the door and waited.

"Mrs Ruston? CBI, please open!"

There was no response. Then suddenly, the crashing sound of a window being broken at the back of the house attracted their attention. Cho motioned to Rigsby to take the other side while he'd cover one, and both saw a black-dressed man running away, his head covered by a hood.

The only word in mind was 'GET HIM!'

Rigsby, the faster of the two, managed a brilliant sprint and tackled the runner on the ground before he reached the edge of the garden. Cho arrived soon after, handing out the cuffs. The man pinned on the ground started struggling, but didn't move much after the metal circled his hands. The hood was pulled off, and when they saw his face, knew they had the right man.

"Nice to see you again, Dr Carmen."

**-RP-**

The former shrink was sitting in the interrogation room, looking bored. Behind the glass, Lisbon observed the one who, according to Jane's expression, had caused all this inner turmoil in her life. The man had lost weight, seemed tired, and the light in his eyes was more aggressive. She smirked bitterly. The irony wanted that Hightower was so demanding on seeing them because he had escaped from jail with another criminal, and wanted to warn them. When the guardians realized he was gone from his cell, they had also found a message, in which the man had sworn revenge on the pair. Hightower hadn't known before early morning, but it had been too late.

In the black woman's office, they had told an official version of the facts; last night, Lisbon had found Jane's behavior odd and aggressive, and the next day –meaning this morning, she had brought him to Dr Daniel who had indeed discovered he was hypnotized. She insisted on the fact that the culprit certainly wanted to use Jane later, and Hightower accepted the excuse and congratulated Lisbon for her observations.

So when Cho and Rigsby came in with the said fugitive, she almost lost her self-control and hit him. For once, she was thankful of Jane's presence, who still made her nervous, to cool her impulses.

Pushing the thoughts aside, she pushed the door and stepped in. Dr Carmen's head snapped up. He smiled wickedly when he recognized her.

"Oh, I was wondering when I was going to see you, agent Lisbon. It has been a while."

Lisbon sat in front of him, repressing a disgusted shiver. She put the file down on the table and stated the facts:

"A night guard, Melissa Hawkins, was killed two nights ago. She worked with your step-sister Mrs Ruston at the hospital. You were reported missing two days ago, but were likely on the run for at least three or four days."

She snapped the file close and stared at him with all the coolness she still had within.

"How did you escape your cell?"

He smirked, amused by the stiffness in her voice and despite her control, the anger in her eyes.

"I suppose you've heard of the death of Lindsay Hendrix by now" he replied coolly. "She and I started to get in contact a few weeks after I got arrested."

"How did you meet?"

Dr Carmen shrugged.

"She managed to hypnotize her jailor to get her out and hack her file to clean her from any charges. She came to me when she knew I use to be your psychiatrist. We had common goals, so we kept contact. It took her a long time to arrange my escape. She usually visited me under my step-sister's name, with a fake ID card. I must admit something, she was good at hiding."

Lisbon didn't wait before asking her next question:

"Why did you kill Melissa Hawkins? She was the night guardian and had done nothing wrong."

The man chuckled and shook his head.

"No, nothing wrong indeed. She was just sleeping with my brother when he was married. Adultery must be punished, just like I punished McTeer. And by doing so, we managed to bring you to the hospital, and start the first part of the plan."

Before she could add anything, the door burst open and Jane entered, uncharacteristically angry. His furious eyes met the suspect's ones and his face turned into a disgusted scorn. Without breaking the eye connection, he took a chair and sat down next to Lisbon and not towards the Dr, like he would do with any other. A tensed silence slowly rose in the room, while the two men started a glaring contest –or rather Jane glaring and Dr Carmen holding his gaze.

"You killed a woman to help her hypnotize me" he said, uttering slowly. "It would have been so easier to kill us by placing a bomb under our car, and more radical. Why use the scheme and all the trouble?"

Once again, the question made the man shrugged.

"Oh, believe me, I would have killed you both myself, if Lindsay didn't have her plan all prepared. Her main idea was to frame you, Mr. Jane. 'After realizing the lovely Lisbon would never return your feelings, you stabbed her to death after raping her; your colleagues find you guilty, and you commit suicide a few days later, unable to bear the remorse'. Lovely press article, don't you think? The kind that would discredit all your hard work and destroy the CBI's reputation…and a romantic ending" he sighed. "Agent Lisbon would have been dead if you hadn't realized what was going on and threatened us to leave. If everything had gone according to my first plan, which was making you stab Lisbon yourself then pushing you to suicide the same night, I would have been at the airport right now, ready to fly to Brazil. And I wouldn't have had to kill her for her misjudgment."

Anger slowly rose in Jane's veins. He would never admit to Lisbon that if they hadn't use a blade but a gun to kill her, their little plan _would_ have work. Lisbon on her side, prayed that Hightower wasn't behind the glass to hear that part of the confession. She would later ask Jane if he did rape her, and despite his earlier promise, she wasn't sure he'd get out of it with a lie this time.

"Since you seem so eager to talk, why did you kill Miss Hendrix then" she asked to change subject. The man noticed her tensed tone, and replied amiably:

"Eager to talk, not really. But since I have been caught, confessing is the best thing I got if I want minimal damages in front of a jury. And I killed my accomplice by hitting her with a car, my brother's car by the way, because I thought she failed me. In fact, I realize she might have succeeded in destroying your bound in a strange way. Her death was supposed to be a distraction to give me time to run away."

At first, silence greeted his last statement. Neither colleagues dared looked at each other.

"You haven't destroyed anything, Dr Carmen" Lisbon replied dryly. "Jane and I still work together; and we caught you."

The man laughed.

"Of course she has broken something. You won't let him come close to you anymore. Though I admit I've underestimated your strength. You got over your rape quite fast. Have you enjoyed it that much, agent Lisbon?"

Jane's fists tightened and he moved forwards. Lisbon had to grab his arm and pull him back to avoid any physical damage. She wanted to hit the doctor more than him, but she wouldn't lower herself to do so.

"In fact Lindsay was right" he laughed. "Her revenge was more powerful than mine…"

This time, Jane literally growled. Knowing she would have to fill more paperwork if she didn't do anything, she pulled Jane back before he could move and pinned him to the nearest wall.

"Get out" she whispered lowly, so that he would be the only one hearing. "Get out before he gets under your skin."

The blond man obeyed and glared one last time at the former psychiatrist before leaving. When Lisbon sat down again, the man chucked:

"I see you got the upper hand on him now."

For a second, fury took over her senses and everything became a haze in her head.

During that second, a hundred of possibilities crossed her mind. No-one was there, in the room with her. She still had her gun at her belt. She had strength in her trained arms and hands. She knew she would have Jane's permission; heck her team would probably follow her to an extent!

During that second, the temptation of getting up and twisting his neck, suffocating him by preventing the air of circulating freely in his throat, faking another breakdown or being hypnotized and pointing her gun at him, blaming the dead Hendrix afterwards and relying on Jane's support to "dehypnotize her" before anymore harm was done…that temptation grew strong within her, and she knew if she let the impulsion out, Dr Carmen would be lying dead in the next few seconds, before anyone could do anything.

The smile on the Dr faltered as he realized what was crossing her mind at the very moment. She knew her eyes had taken a darker shade, were covered with coolness and indifference. She knew that silences were more dangerous than long discourses. That one look could say much more than words. So when Dr Carmen understood how much she wanted to kill him right now, and that she could kill him and get off with it, he shut his mouth and let her read his rights in silence.

**-RP-**

Lisbon collapsed on her couch in the living room, a box of Thai food on her living-room table. Hightower had dismissed everyone earlier than usual; and forced her to go back home. For once, she didn't want to return there. Too bad and recent memories clouded her mind, and she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep in her bedroom before changing the sheets.

A knock on the outside door made her stand up reluctantly. She checked into the peephole the identity of her nightly visitor and froze. Jane. It was Jane. Why would he come here?

A part of her wanted to freak out, another part ignored him and return to the safety of her couch, and the last one was furious he dared showing up. She kept the security chain on and opened the door slightly, just enough to see him, and him to see her.

"Good evening" he said quietly. "May I come in?"

Even with the greatest will on earth, there was no way he was stepping in this house again. Despite the pain and the guilt in his eyes, she couldn't.

"I'd rather keep you out for the moment" she whispered, avoiding his gaze. "I don't feel comfortable…"

"Its okay, it's okay" he cut quickly. "I understand."

She still didn't look at him, rather concentrated on the buttons of his untidy suit.

"I'm not that strong Jane. I can't…I won't get over it in one night, one week or even a month. I don't know how long it will take" she added. "I know you weren't responsible but…"

"Hey, Lisbon" he called softly, and this time, she raised her head and met his eyes. "I told you I understand." He paused, biting his lower lip. "I'm sorry."

"I know" she replied quietly.

For seconds, none of them spoke.

Lisbon felt bad. The distance she was imposing between them hurt her as much as him; he was a colleague, a friend, and she cared for him. But after the past night's events, she needed…

"Do you think you will forgive me one day?"

She was so lost in thoughts she almost didn't hear him whisper. One of his hands went through the door and brushed her wrist. Lisbon jumped at the contact and stared at him, wondering what he was playing at. Then it hit her.

"Do you think you will forgive me one day?" he repeated on a slightly stronger voice.

He needed her. Those baby blue eyes were set on her, searching almost desperately for an answer, his hand wanting to be held so much. Without breaking eye contact, she took his hand gently and squeezed it. Letting him know she still felt there was something between them.

"Maybe, with time" Lisbon replied softly. "Please, can you leave now? And not come back yet."

He released her hand and nodded, taking a step back.

"Good night Teresa."

She didn't reply, and shut the door close. As soon as she turned the lock, she backed against the door and let herself slide down to the floor. She tightened her fists and bit her lip to stop the flood of fear and anxiety. Despite the helpless feeling inside, pictures couldn't stop coming back in her head.

Jane's adoring and loving eyes when he looked at her. The gentleness of his touch. The sweet whispers in her ear. There was only one reason she didn't fight him with all her might. He made love to her that night. No matter how wrong it was, he made love to her, didn't fuck her. And that was tearing her into pieces.

Because in different circumstances, a part of her mind admitted that maybe, just maybe, if he had seduced her like he knew how to, she would have ended in bed with him.

Outside, Jane headed to his car in silence.

After Hightower dismissed everyone, he went to talk to her. He admitted _almost_ raping Lisbon –to respect his word towards her- and asked to be removed from the team for some time. After staring at him in disbelief, she agreed, not wanting anymore tensions in the team. Maybe that was cowardice, but he couldn't stand the reproachful glances of his three colleagues.

Rigsby's behavior hurt him the most, he had to admit. The man had quickly forgotten he had been hypnotized before. And if Van Pelt hadn't stepped in, the tall man would have given him a black eye.

Jane smirked bitterly. Indeed, Carmen and Hendrix's plan had worked perfectly. They had set a fracture between him and the rest of them, between his supporters and his prosecutors. Fragile his relationship with Lisbon. And the only answer he got, to avoid more discord, was to leave everything behind. Leave like a coward and tell no-one.

They would discover it by their own tomorrow morning, hate him for a while, and maybe forgive him. He didn't want to deal with their reaction. The redhead would be the first one to talk to him again. Cho would follow after giving him a cold shoulder for a while. Rigsby would be the last one to forgive him, if he ever forgave at all. And Lisbon…

He shook his head. If she wanted to join him, she knew his cell number.

For now, he was leaving the CBI.

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**Thanks to everyone for reading this till the end. It would be even better if you left me a word, just to know if I should write a sequel or not –though it wouldn't come up right away…**

**Hope you enjoyed it xD!**


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